The ultimate question - why does anything exist? If you get this wrong, all of life is skewed, confusing, and unfulfilled. Pure materialists conclude there is no reason, no purpose. Clearly an unlivable answer. Everyone else acknowledges God (or some eternal god-like force) made everything. So why did God do this?
Common answers are:
God was bored
God wanted friendship
God wanted truly "free" creatures He could love who would "freely choose" to love Him in return.
None of these are the Bible's answer. The short version of the Bible's answer is "God made everything to show forth His glory". The best explanation of this comes from an essay by Jonathan Edwards. The best modern introduction to Edwards' masterful essay is by John Piper. Piper introduces the essay and includes the full text, with helpful footnotes.
End For Which God Made The World essay by Jonathan Edwards
I loved that sermon!
I loved that sermon! I liked all of his sermons, but I loved this and the one about charity best.
I think this truth is reflected well in John Piper's book, The Dangerous Duty of Delight. He explains it really well, how, when we delight in God, he is glorified. And of course that ties in to the biggest question: of our purpose. "To glorify God and enjoy him forever.."